Fear is a good thing

14th March 2013

Complacency is a very dangerous thing. It can often lead to, or perhaps be caused by, false assumptions, which in turn can lead to under-estimating a situation, and then being unprepared to deal with it.

We often see it on the sports field, and England could probably be accused of complacency both on the cricket and rugby pitches over the recent weekend. The thing is, it is not really a conscious decision, so it is very hard to guard against. Both these teams would swear blind that they were not complacent, and that they were fully prepared, but in the back of their minds they had allowed themselves to create a false sense of security.

As always we can apply the same mentality to business. Ignoring the little worrying signs, not preparing properly for a sales pitch, or even a presentation will invariably lead to a poor performance, a drop in standards and quality, and potential loss of business. In fact I can clearly remember a specific presentation where I hadn’t thought it particularly important, I had played down the fear factor, and consequently spoke poorly.

If you believe your business to be one which is high in quality and service you can never allow your standards to drop. And of course this must be true of every aspect of what you do, because one slip can cause doubt in your customer or prospects mind. So don’t be complacent. Don’t tell yourself that “x” or “y” didn’t really matter, and let yourself off the hook. Always be on your guard, and let fear of failure help to drive you forward. Because if you don’t have that edge, you could lose when you should be winning.

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